


It's Been A Long Time Coming

by theballadofpontmercy



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 19:35:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2080515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theballadofpontmercy/pseuds/theballadofpontmercy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High School au. Javert is a photography teacher, and Valjean is an art teacher in an adjacent room. A myth circulates the school claiming photography and art students cannot be friends. This is a slight problem for a couple of students, particularly Enjolras who does not want to have to hate his best friend Combeferre, and is slightly intrigued by Grantaire. And of course Marius, who has been struck to the bone in a moment of breathless delight. Of course, as usual, it is Courfeyrac to the rescue!</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Been A Long Time Coming

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of the characters used!

The art and photography rooms were adjacent to the other, yet they could not be any more opposite if they tried. This was not down to differences in the subjects, but rather differences between the teachers and their long lasting animosity. 

The art teacher was a kind, humble and gentle ageing man named Mr. Valjean. He was kind and supportive towards his art students and could assure any stressed out student with his warm smile. His room reflected his own personality, it was warm, friendly, covered in all his students work, with large open windows that filled the room with sunshine. Yes, it was a lovely room, for a lovely man.

The photography room was, slightly, different. Mr. Javert was a colder man, he rarely smiled, unless he was completely and utterly proud of a piece of work a student of his produced. He could be harsh and intimidating, but he was a totally just and honest man. If you were on his good side he would treat you as a partner, but if you angered Javert, usually as a result of dishonesty, he would come down on you like a wolf. His relationship with Valjean was strained, but never let affect his teaching... Not at all...

"So are we not allowed to speak to the art students?" Marius leaned over frowning at Courfeyrac who sighed.

"Of course we can Marius, that is just an urban myth of this school!" Courfeyrac shook his head at his confused friend.

"Well that's good then, I sit next to Combeferre in science and I like talking to him." Marius smiled. 

"Of course you do!" Courfeyrac smiled back.

"Are you talking about those art students?" Montparnasse looked up from his camera, frowning.

"Yes we are, Marius wants to know if he can talk to them." Courfeyrac explained as Marius blushed.

"Well he can't." Montparnasse shrugged.

"Wait. What?" Marius asked, a little too loud, as he received a raised eyebrow from Javert.

"Do you not know the rules?" Montparnasse smirked.

"The rules?" Marius repeated uncertainly as Courfeyrac sighed even louder.

"Yes, the rules Freckle. You can't be their friends, we're in competition, we can't interact with the enemy. We are a team, and we are not on the same team as though art students." Montparnasse explained smiling slightly.

"Is that right Courfeyrac?" Marius turned to his friend who shook his head.

"You can talk to the art students Marius." Courfeyrac repeated.

"Don't do it Freckle!" Montparnasse wagged a finger at the blushing Marius. 

"Don't listen to him Marius." A stern voice came from Marius, he turned and smiled weakly.

"Hello Enjolras." 

"Don't listen to Montparnasse, Marius, my best friend is an art student, and I am not planning on sparking a rivalry with Combeferre, because let's face it, we would all be destroyed." Enjolras spoke directly to Montparnasse rather than Marius, Montparnasse grinned one last time and went to work on the other side of the room.

"I am very confused now." Marius muttered.

"Don't be confused, be friends with who you want." Enjolras shrugged, taking a seat next to Courfeyrac. 

"I'm glad we can talk to them." Marius smiled.

"Why?" Courfeyrac asked smiling at the dreamy expression on his best friends face, one he had never seen before, or thought he would ever see.

"No reason." He blushed and looked away, suddenly becoming very interested in his work.

But there was indeed a very big reason. Marius was in love, with an art student. He didn't even know her name, but he knew that what he felt was love. In order to reach the photography classroom, Marius had to walk through the art room. Every time he walked through the art room, he was struck to the bone in a moment of breathless delight when he caught sight of his angel. The first time their eyes met he knew it was love and he couldn't ever stop thinking about this girl.

She was an absolute angel in his eyes, with long, wavy blonde hair that shone in the light. Her eyes were large and were a mixture of green and blue that Marius had never seen before. Her eyes were framed by ridiculously long eyelashes, that fluttered slightly when she looked up. Her lips were absolutely perfect in Marius' opinion, soft, large and they always formed a small, serene smile whenever she looked at Marius. There was something just so sweet and gentle about her nature that effected Marius, he was definitely in love.

The only problem Marius encountered was his lack of experience and understanding when it came to the opposite gender. He had no idea what to say, what to do. All he did was walk past her, smile slightly then leave. But, that was not all he did, no, on days when he had photography, and he knew she had art, he would wear only his very best clothes. He would make sure his hair looked just right, and he would try to walk past her as casually and naturally as he could, even though he was internally screaming. Apart from that he had done absolutely nothing to try and woo the girl, he knew Courfeyrac would help him, but the secrecy of his love was part of the magic. Telling Courfeyrac would make it seem less enchanting, but Marius was not the best at hiding his emotions, and so Courfeyrac was quick to notice.

About ten minutes later, Courfeyrac cornered his friend.

"Marius, are you ill? You look as if you've seen a ghost!" Courfeyrac frowned.

"She may as well be a ghost to me." Marius sighed.

"Oh." Courfeyrac grinned. So it was a girl.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know." 

"What do you mean you don't know?" Courfeyrac frowned, that was weird, even for Marius.

"I don't know her name, all I know it is that she is a blonde haired angel, who is also an art student." Marius smiled sadly.

"Ah! Now we are getting somewhere! So, she is an art student?" Courfeyrac smiled.

"Yes, she's in that room over there." Marius pointed towards Valjean's art room.

"In that room there?" Courfeyrac smiled even wider.

"Yes." Marius frowned at the expression on Courfeyrac's face, that grin was never a good sign.

"That room just there." Courfeyrac almost whispered. Suddenly, his head whipped around towards Javert and he asked loudly. "Sir, would it possible for Marius and I to go and borrow some paint from the art room?" He asked smiling as Marius looked at him with a face of utter betrayal.

"Fine, but be quick about it! And don't disturb Valjean's class." Javert replied, not looking up from his papers.

"Courfeyrac no no no no no no!" Marius groaned as Courfeyrac pushed him towards the door, cackling manically.

Courfeyrac pushed Marius through the door, using so much force Marius nearly fell on the other side. His entrance was met with much laughter from the art students.

"Can I help you?" Valjean asked kindly.

"Paint." Marius blurted out, this was met with more laughter.

"Sorry sir, but would it be possible if we could borrow some paint?" Courfeyrac smiled charmingly as Marius blushed furiously.

"Of course." Valjean nodded, he pointed to the corner of his classroom, right next to a certain blonde haired angel. Who was looking at Marius sweetly.

"Oh bollocks." Courfeyrac heard Marius whisper, as Courfeyrac pushed him forward again. 

Marius fumbled around with the paints, determined not to look at his love, so instead Courfeyrac examined her. She certainly was pretty, Courfeyrac thought, he smiled at her and she smiled back. As soon as she smiled her focus went straight back to the poor, freckled boy trying to get some blue paint out of the bottle. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of blue paint left in the bottle, so Marius shook and squeezed it forcefully, causing the bottle to make various noises, that could only be compared to farts.

"Oh bollocks, oh bollocks, oh bollocks!" Marius' hushed whispers became more frantic, as the art students turned to watch him struggle and accidently make fart noises.

"Marius! Stop! Don't shake it so-" Courfeyrac tried to stop before the inevitable happened. But it happened. The lid came off the bottle and blue paint went everywhere, all over Marius, all over Courfeyrac and of course, all over the girl.

"Oh bollocks!" Marius cried aloud this time as the rest of the room tried to process what just happened through their laughter. Marius looked at his angel, now covered in blue paint and felt like crying.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so, so, so sorry!" He started, but she shook her pretty head and smiled.

"It's alright. It happens." She smiled up at him as she started to clean some of the blue paint off of herself. 

"I will buy you some new clothes!" He blurted out, making the girl laugh. A beautiful, sweet and musical laugh that filled his heart full of love.

"There is no need for that!" She smiled, blushing slightly.

"Boys, you have been in my room all of two minutes and you have caused more ruckus then some students who I have taught for nearly five years." Valjean walked over to the scene, smiling good naturedly.

"I'm so sorry, Sir." Marius' blush was hard to see behind all of the blue paint.

"That's quite alright, son. But, maybe it would be best if you went back to your own classroom?" Valjean suggested.

"Sorry, Sir." Courfeyrac nodded and pulled Marius along with him.

"I'm sorry!" Marius called towards his angel, who only laughed again. 

"Stop apologising!" She called back, kindly.

"Sorry!" Marius cried again and then realised what he said. "Oh bollocks." 

She laughed again, and that was the last thing Marius saw as he was pulled through the door.

"What in the world happened to you two?" Javert stood from his desk, frowning.

"Major paint explosion!" Courfeyrac explained as Javert sighed.

"Please, go to the toilets and sort yourselves out." Javert instructed and Marius and Courfeyrac quickly left the room.

-

"So... You haven't stopped blushing since that freckly kid covered you in paint, you like him don't you?" Eponine grinned at Cosette, who raised a finger to her lips, nodding towards her father.

"How could you tell?" Cosette whispered back, blushing again.

"It is so obvious." Grantaire muttered from next to her.

"And you!" Cosette cried.

"Please, everyone in this room knows." Eponine grinned as Cosette pouted.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Grantaire smirked.

"To do? I don't know, he seems very shy." Cosette sighed, thinking about that boy, that she now knew to be called Marius. It suited him perfectly!

"You don't have to wait for him to do something!" Grantaire pointed out.

"How do you know that he likes me back?" Cosette asked, making Eponine, Grantaire and everyone else in hearing distance laugh.

"He is so obvious, he might as well be holding a sign." Eponine snorted.

"If he is obvious, then what does that make you Grantaire?" Cosette fired back, nodding down at Grantaire's painting of a certain blonde haired photography student.

"Quiet you." He muttered, whilst covering his work.

"I don't think he even knows my name." Cosette spoke loudly, as her father had just left the room.

"That is an easy problem to solve..." Eponine shrugged.

"Eponine, you're good at sleuthing, are you not?" Cosette asked smiling.

"What do you want?" Eponine asked bluntly.

"Could you find out some more about... Marius." Cosette let his name roll off her tongue, it felt right.

"And what will give me in return?" Eponine asked, even though she wanted nothing.

"Eternal friendship?" Cosette asked smiling sweetly.

"That's a good bargain." Eponine shrugged, smiling as Cosette's whole face lit up.

"Oh, thank you Eponine! Thank you so much!" Cosette rushed over to give the girl a hug.

"Alright, alright! It's no trouble" Eponine shrugged, ignoring the looks Grantaire was sending her.

"You're such a good friend!" Cosette smiled as she sat back in her seat.

"I know I am." 

-

"So... You're Marius Pontmercy, right?" Eponine smiled at Marius, who looked back at her confused.

"I am... And you are Eponine?" He asked, smiling nervously.

"Yes, I am." Eponine sat down at the nearest lunch table, gesturing for him to do the same. He sat down next to her, without even questioning anything. "So you're a photography student?" Eponine asked.

"I am, and you're an art student..." Marius replied uncertainly.

"Very good! So how did you manage to get all that blue paint off?" Eponine laughed as Marius groaned.

"I didn't!" He showed her his arms, that were indeed very blue. "It went all down my shirt as well! So embarrassing!" He looked down as he smiled, Eponine couldn't help but think he was adorable.

"No one was laughing at you, there more laughing at what you did." Eponine tried to comfort Marius by rubbing his arm softly, he didn't stop her, but she did feel him tense.

"I don't like it when people laugh at me." Marius replied bluntly, looking away.

"Well no one was laughing at you, and even if they were they were not being cruel..." Eponine reassured the boy who was unwrapping his sandwiches.

"It just makes me feel uncomfortable.." He shrugged as he pulled out a perfectly cut triangular sandwich.

"I get that." Eponine nodded. Studying his ridiculously pretty face, she had never been this close to him before, but she could count his many freckles and she could even see the wrinkles that formed at the corner of his eyes when he smiled, he was absolutely lovely.

"What?" He looked up at her with that nervous smile.

"I'm sorry?" Eponine asked.

"Are you checking out my sandwiches? Yeah, they are marmite..." Marius smiled.

"Eww no! Definitely not! I hate marmite!" Eponine wrinkled her nose.

"You're missing out!" Marius grinned as his bite into the middle of his sandwich, causing marmite to stain the corners of his large lips.

"You have a bit of marmite on your lips." Eponine pointed out as she stood from the table.

Marius quickly pulled a crumpled tissue out of his pocket and wiped his mouth clean, he frowned up at her.

"Are you leaving?" He asked, clearly confused.

"Yeah... I have to go... I'll see you around blue boy." Eponine smirked one last time and left him alone.

As soon as she left the room, she pounced on by Cosette. 

"So what did he tell you? Can you tell if he likes me? Did you tell him my name?" Cosette asked excitedly.

"I have to go Cosette, I'll talk to you later..." Eponine pushed the blonde away, gently and left.

"Okay... I'll see you around." Cosette murmured to herself, no one else was there to listen.

You don't like him, you don't like him, you don't like him. Eponine repeated in her head again and again. But you do. There was part of Eponine that desperately never wanted Marius and Cosette to officially declare their love for each other, rather Eponine could prevent them from doing so... Maybe convince a certain freckly boy there was someone else... No that would be wrong. But there was no harm in Eponine thinking about Marius right? She would have to make do with thinking about him and just hope this whole thing will blow over...

-

"I wish you did photography Combeferre." Enjolras sighed as he sat down next to his best friend at lunch.

"And what has brought on this sudden realisation?" Combeferre smiled kindly.

"I got into an argument..." Enjolras shrugged.

"That doesn't surprise me... Who with?" Combeferre laughed to himself.

"Do you know Montparnasse?" Enjolras asked, poking at his school dinner, which apparently was tuna pasta.

"I do know of him, but I do not know him." Combeferre answered.

"Well it was him, he said that we can't be friends, because you're an art student and I am a photography student." Enjolras explained as Combeferre laughed.

"Well he has spoken very true!" 

"Combeferre!" Enjolras cried.

"I am being very serious, we are like the Romeo and Juliet of this school, our friendship is forbidden and that is why it is so strong!" Combeferre laughed as Enjolras rolled his eyes.

"How ridiculous..." Enjolras muttered.

"Let's make it more ridiculous... Oh, Marius!" Combeferre called over to the boy sitting alone, he looked up and waved. "Come and sit with us!" Marius quickly grabbed his things and joined the other two on their table.

"Get all the blue off?" Enjolras grinned.

"Not at all..." Marius admitted holding his very blue arms up. Making Combeferre and Enjolras laugh.

"Did she see?" Enjolras asked, knowing Marius understood exactly who she was referring to.

"Even worse, I got blue paint all over too!" Marius sighed as the two laughed again.

"She didn't seem to mind..." Combeferre reassured as Marius smiled.

"I mind though, it was terribly embarrassing!" Marius groaned.

"You'll soon forget about it! Just like that time your trousers fell down when you accepted that award in assembly!" Enjolras tried to reassure his friend who only groaned louder.

"Thanks for reminding me about that Enjolras!" Marius glared at the blonde who laughed.

"We saw you talking to Eponine, what was that about?" Combeferre asked Marius who shrugged.

"I'm not sure..." Marius answered as Enjolras frowned.

"Eponine... Which one is that?"

"The girl in art with the long dark hair." Combeferre answered.

"The one who is friends with Grantaire?" Enjolras asked.

"That's the one!" Combeferre nodded.

"I don't get him..." Enjolras shrugged.

"What do you mean by that?" Marius frowned, as he rubbed at his blue arms.

"Everyone always tells me that he's really great, smart, talented and hilarious, but whenever I have seen him he looks like the grumpiest excuse for a person I have ever seen, I just find him infuriating!" Enjolras confessed passionately to Marius and Combeferre, who shared a look then turned back to Enjolras.

"Grantaire is really great, he's just not in your face about it." Combeferre answered Enjolras, who rolled his eyes.

"There's in your face and then there is just plain cold and rude." Enjolras muttered as he rose from the table. "Come on with have history Marius, we don't want to be late." 

"I just wish I could get this blue off." Marius groaned as he pulled his jacket on, so it covered his blue arms.

"Same it's embarrassing walking around with a Smurf." Enjolras smiled as Marius threw him a dirty look.

"I personally think it is an improvement!" Courfeyrac appeared next to Marius, grinning widely.

"Shut up Courfeyrac, you're blue as well!" Marius pouted.

"At least I don't have it on my face..." Courfeyrac sang as Marius stopped in the middle of the crowded corridor.

"Wait... What!?! Do I have it my face? Why did no one tell me!" Marius wailed as people turned to look at him in the corridor, laughing.

"I told you! It is an improvement!" Courfeyrac replied, as he grabbed Marius' arm. "Come on we're going to get crushed!" 

"I hate you all..." Marius mumbled.

"I love you too." Courfeyrac replied with a smile.

-

"So did you talk to Pontmercy, for Cosette?" Grantaire leaned over to ask Eponine, a couple of days later.

"Kind of..." Eponine shrugged, not looking Grantaire in the eye.

"Okay... Did you actually mention Cosette at all?" Grantaire guessed the answer to his question as soon as he asked it.

"Well... Not exactly..." Eponine confessed quietly, her eyes fixed on Cosette who was busy painting a portrait of her father.

"Oh Eponine..." Grantaire smiled at sadly, but sensed she did not want to talk about the subject any more so he left her to her work. He glanced around and noticed Combeferre carefully working on a drawing of a moth, it was so lifelike that Grantaire thought an actual moth had landed on his paper.

Grantaire decided he should probably focus on his own work, so he picked up his paintbrush and continued his own painting, trying to block out all over movement and noise around him, really focus. But he couldn't.

The walls between the photography and the art room were ridiculously thin, so any louder conversations in one room could be heard in the other. Grantaire sat close to wall, but not as close as Cosette, she seemed to hear everything, Grantaire assumed that's why her hair is so big, because it's full of secrets!

This conversation though grabbed the attention of the whole room, Grantaire recognised the voices immediately, Courfeyrac and Marius.

"Do you think she is annoyed at me?" Marius asked.

"How could she be? You're so divine." Courfeyrac replied, that made Grantaire smile slightly.

"I would be annoyed if I was her." Marius replied.

"But you're not her, she doesn't seem like the type to get annoyed, just try to forget about it!" The voice of Courfeyrac was clear to hear in the whole art, every student was still looking at their work, but obviously listening to the conversation.

"I can't forget about it! It was awful!" Marius' groans filled the whole room, Grantaire definitely noticed Combeferre rolling his eyes at his friends melodramatic behaviour.

"It doesn't matter! Even if you don't forget, she will!" Courfeyrac reassured.

"I wish I could be normal around her." Marius confessed, Grantaire eyes shot over to Cosette, whose appeared listening intensely to the conversation.

"Your normal? Or society's definition of normal?" Courfeyrac asked, a hint of laughter could be heard in his voice.

"I'm serious Courfeyrac! I'm in love!" Marius proclaimed loudly, Grantaire's eyes widened, and every turned to look at Cosette, who was still gazing intently at the wall.

"Love? You don't even know her name! You have just nicknamed her angelic art girl!" Courfeyrac replied, his tone didn't sound cruel or mocking, rather reassuring. He then added, laughing slightly. "She definitely your mysterious girl!"

"Just because I don't know her name, doesn't mean I don't know her..." Marius responded, quieter but still loud enough for the art room to hear.

"You just need to talk to her..." Courfeyrac replied, then there was silence for a couple of minutes, the art students were whispering to each other, but Grantaire watched as Cosette went back to her work, blushing with a small smile present on her face.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and there was Courfeyrac and Marius, one smiling the other looking directly towards Cosette, determination obvious on his face.

"Hello you two, how can I help?" Valjean appeared from the art blocks office, he had not present during Marius' overheard declarations of love.

"We were wondering if we could borrow a couple of students to take some photo's of... For our projects!" Courfeyrac smiled and lied casually.

"Where would you take them?" Valjean asked.

"Just outside, under the big willow tree next to the maths building." Courfeyrac lied again, it was worrying how natural he was at lying Marius thought.

"Is it just you two who need to take some pictures?" Valjean smiled.

"I as well, Sir." Enjolras stepped into the room, and Grantaire quickly covered his sketchbook.

"Very well! Who do you want?" Valjean's smiled widened.

"Well if they don't mind... I would like to borrow... This boy..." Courfeyrac stood next to pretty boy who was in the middle of painting a detailed painting of flowers.

"Jehan, do you mind?" Valjean asked, and Jehan shook his head and stood up.

"Not at all, Sir." 

"Thanks Jehan!" Courfeyrac grinned.

"Who else?" Valjean asked, looking at Marius and Enjolras.

"Grantaire." Enjolras was the first to speak. Grantaire's head shot up and he frowned at Enjolras. "If you don't mind?" Enjolras added.

"That's fine." Grantaire stood from his chair and went to join Enjolras, wondering why he had been chosen.

"And you, Mr Pontmercy?" Valjean smiled at Marius, who was in the state of a panic, as he had no idea of the name of the girl.

"Umm..." He started, but Courfeyrac stepped in.

"Marius, wants that lovely blonde girl over there!" Courfeyrac pointed towards Cosette, who smiled widely at Marius.

"Cosette? Would you mind helping these students?" Valjean smiled at his daughter who nodded.

"I don't mind at all." She stood and slowly made her way over to Marius, who couldn't even look her in the eye, his determination had clearly faltered.

"Okay, try to be as quick as you can, I know all three have a lot of work to be getting on with!" Valjean instructed the photography students who nodded and quickly made their way out of the art building.

The majority of the group walked in silence towards the maths block, apart from Courfeyrac he could not stop laughing, even when both Enjolras and Marius sent him filthy looks.

"Okay, so the tree would make a nice picture, Marius! Why don't you take the lovely Cosette over there first... to get your photo..." Courfeyrac nudged his best friend, who nodded, still blushing. He finally looked over at Cosette, who nodded and the two left towards the pretty tree.

"Courfeyrac do you love making situations as awkward as possible?" Enjolras asked Courfeyrac bluntly.

"On the contrary, I hate making situations awkward, that's why I made them go off alone. So, they can actually talk to each other." Courfeyrac replied smiling over at Enjolras who rolled his eyes fondly.

-

Marius couldn't look Cosette in the eye, he knew she was looking at her and that was enough to make him nervous. She was walking just behind him, so he tried to walk as normally as he body would permit, but he did stumbled slightly.

They finally reached the tree and Marius accepted his fate, he must finally talk to this perfect being. He opened his mouth to speak, but she bit him to it.

"Are you really in love?" She asked, looking up at him with an unreadable expression.

"I'm sorry?" He repeated out of shock more than anything.

"Are you really in love, with me?" She repeated, smiling only slightly.

"Well... I... Umm... How did you know that?" Marius asked, utterly bewildered.

"The photography and art room walls are quite thin." Cosette answered.

"I see." Marius nodded, blushing a furious pink that Cosette thought was adorable.

"Well?" She prompted after a couple moments of silence.

"Well, I really am in love with you." Marius finally admitted to her, staring at the suddenly very interesting floor.

Cosette smiled so wide and reached forward to tilt his head upwards. She kissed him softly on the lips, smiling as she did, she felt him relax only slightly as she did. When they broke apart he was smiling so widely and perfectly, she nearly cried.

"Well?" He asked, reaching forward to grab her hand.

"I love you too." She confessed and he kissed her again.

-

"I told you this would work!" Courfeyrac shouted loudly, earning himself a pat on the back from Jehan.

"I can't believe it" Enjolras muttered.

"I swear they are a Disney couple." Grantaire commented, as all four continued to watch Marius and Cosette under that tree.

"I know, just give it a second and hoards of woodland creatures will flock around them as they declare their love through the medium of song!" Jehan sighed happily.

"Look at Marius, he's all grown up now, he doesn't need me anymore..." Courfeyrac smiled sadly as he watched his best friend kissing his beloved angel.

"He'll always need you, trust me, you do more for him than he realises, one day he will understand." Enjolras gave Courfeyrac a reassuring pat on the back.

"You sure?" Courfeyrac pouted.

"I'm definitely sure." Enjolras replied. The four watched the approaching figures of Marius and Cosette, walking hand in hand, both wearing matching, perfect smiles.

"Hello you two." Courfeyrac grinned at his best friend, with Enjolras' reassuring words in his head, he didn't feel anything but pride and happiness for his best friend.

"Hello." Marius replied softly, his hand still interlocked with Cosette's. 

"Should we go back?" Grantaire asked, he had important work to get on with.

"Yeah we should." Enjolras nodded, and the group made their way back, Marius and Cosette leading the way, both totally absorbed by the other. Enjolras kind of wished he had made them stay, after all he did come out here to take photographs of Grantaire... But that's fine, what matters is Marius will stop moping around, and instead be happy.

"Did you get everything you need?" Valjean looked up from his desk as the group returned.

"Definitely." Marius nodded, smiling slightly at Cosette, obviously he couldn't proclaim his love too loudly in front of her father, he would probably need some persuading first.

"Well good, now come on boys back to your room." Valjean smiled kindly, he knew that deadlines were approaching and everyone needed to remain focused.

Enjolras followed Marius and Courfeyrac back to the photography room, but something caught his attention. At first he thought it was a mirror, but of course it wasn't. Instead it was an amazing painting of his own face, contorted in passion, but still sublimely beautiful. He stood gaping at it, until he heard an awkward cough from next to him. He turned and his mouth fell open.

"You did this?" He asked in complete disbelief, for the first time in his life he was nearly at a loss for words.

"I did." Grantaire replied, looking in any direction other than Enjolras.

"I don't believe it..." Enjolras murmured.

 

"Enjolras, come on now." Javert called from the doorway, Enjolras walked over, looking back to look at Grantaire, who had immediately put his headphones in, blushing noticeably.

Enjolras walked back into the photography in a daze, he couldn't forget that painting, and he couldn't understand what it actually meant. He was quickly brought back to reality by the one and only Marius Pontmercy, who was almost crying tears of joy. Enjolras couldn't help but smile at his friends well deserved happiness.

"I did it!" Marius cried proudly and the whole room started to clap.

"Well done Pontmercy!" Bahorel cried loudly, giving Marius a pat on the shoulder.

"Didn't doubt you for a second!" Bossuet cheered.

"Congratulations to you Mr Pontmercy, but now could we all get back to work, now the worry over poor Mr Pontmercy's love life has been relieved." Javert called from his desk, his eyes fixed on a piece of paper in front of him. Marius blushed and the room quickly fell silent. Marius looked over at Courfeyrac and smiled. 

"Thank you." He whispered.

"Anything for you Marius, anything." Courfeyrac replied, smiling widely.

-

"So are you two a thing now?" Eponine looked over at Cosette.

"I believe so." Cosette replied, smiling to herself, as she listened to the cheering in the next room.

"I'm happy for you Cosette." Feuilly grinned, his face covered in smudges from charcoal.

"Thank you Feuilly." Cosette replied.

"I'm so grateful to you Cosette, finally Marius will stop pining!" Combeferre sighed, as Cosette laughed.

"How was Enjolras, Grantaire?" Eponine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine." Grantaire shrugged, trying to ignore the memory of Enjolras looking at his work.

"Just fine?" Eponine asked.

"I said he was fine, Eponine." Grantaire snapped back.

"Sorry." Eponine widened her eyes in shock.

"No I'm sorry, I shouldn't of snapped." Grantaire shook his head.

"It's okay." Eponine smiled sadly.

Well the end of school bell went, Cosette waited for Marius to join her and they went off together, Courfeyrac understood that they would want to be alone, so he joined Enjolras and Combeferre. Enjolras was acting so quiet that it was weird. Suddenly, half way out the door he turned and left without a word.

"What is it with everyone today?" Courfeyrac asked, his eyes fixed on Marius and Cosette, who were standing so close together their noses were almost touching.

"Don't ask me." Combeferre shrugged.

\- 

"Grantaire!" Enjolras cried, and Grantaire turned around frowning slightly.

"What is Enjolras?"

"Umm, it's just... Well... that was an amazing painting Grantaire, you're very talented." Enjolras smiled.

"Thank you, Enjolras. Thank you." And for Grantaire, that recognition was enough, it was more than enough. It was perfect.


End file.
